John Lennon first group started 1956 and got the name The Quarrymen,
because their schoolīs name was The Quarry Bank School.
John played the guitar and his best friend, Pete Shotton hold the rhythm with a washboard.
Gradually they got more members in the band.
Colin Hanton got in īcause he owned a drumset.
Also in the Quarrymen were Nigel Walley1, Ivan Vaughan, and
Eric Griffiths, the rest of John's gang.
They played some songs performed by Lonnie Donegan from England,
But John wanted to play rockīnīroll like Elvis Presley and Bill Haley.
So he learned the songs by listen to the radio.
The Quarrymen appeared at youth houses and schoolparties.

One day Ivan Vaughan friend, Paul McCartney was one of the spectators.
After the gig said Ivan to the other guys in the band that Paul was a
very good guitarplayer and singer. John wanted to hear him, and when
he did he was imprest īcause Paul could play Little Richardīs songs and
he could tune the guitar.
Nobody in The Quarrymen could do that!.
At the start John was afraid that Paul maybe could be the leader on the band.
But Paul was needed on the band a week later he was in.
John and Paul became the best friends.
Every day after the school The Quarrymen practised,
and Paul learned John to play the guitar better.
Now they started to write songs on their own.
One of their first songs was One After 909.

Later on Paul met George Harrison. During the autumn 1957,
George was allowed to come and listen when The Quarrymen practised.
George brought a guitar and played Guitar Boogie Shuffle.
He played better and faster than anyone in The Quarrymen,
but they thought he was too young.
But he continued to be with them when they were playing,
and if anyone in the group became sick, George was the replacement.

There was allready four guitar-player in The Quarrymen,
and one of them had to quite before George could be in, later on
Eric Griffiths left the band and George replaced him.

One day John and Paul saw one of Englands most populary popgroup,
Cliff Richard and the Shadows on the tv and they had real
elecric guitars! When John and George had save some money they went to
the shop and bought electic guitars, but they couldnīt afford an amplifier.

During the autumn (-58) they used the name, Johnny and the Moondogs.
They played now often in Liverpool and the people began to like them...
On 1959 their name changed to The Silver Beetles.
But there was a big problem. They got none to play the drums.
George Harrison said then that he remembered a guy from a club.
It was Pete Best and they joined him to the band. In August 1960
they simplified the name to The Beatles.

They went now to Hamburg in Germany, because it was easy to get gigs there.
But when they came there for the first time, the people said that they had to
be a five piece band. So they went back to Liverpool and asked a friend if he wanted
to play the bass.
The guy was Stuart Sutcliffe and he said yes. It was now 1961 and they
played now often in Hamburg.
During a tour there they met a singer, Tony Sheridan, who wanted to make a record.
But he didnīt got a band. The Silver Beatles said that they could play with him,
and so it became. Sheridanīs producer gave them a new name, The Beat Brothers,
just for this occasion. The record was My Bonnie.

One of their first public gig was at the Liverpool-club The Cavern.
One of the spectators was Brian Epstein. He had a record store in the
town and he knew the boys. He was very imprest by their gig, and
he wanted to be their manager.
They couldnīt said no to a offer like that! Pete Best didnīt feel comfortable
in the band and 1962 Ringo Starr(Richard Starkey) replaced him.
He had before that played in a group called Rory Storm and The Hurricanes.
The same year, Sutcliffe died in Hamburg and Paul McCartney paid that he
could play the bass. In October 1962 their first single, Love Me Do came
out and it was more or less a hit.

From now they were touring in the whole country, and with the new song,
Please Please Me they achieved the first place at the hitlist.
More early songs that raised the first place was She Loves You,
and From Me To You. Now the real īBeatlemaniaī broke out.
The same year they visited Sweden for the first time.
Now USA waited for them. Brian Epstein and their producer George Martin
wanted to go there. But The Beatles said: "Weīre not goinī to America until
weīve got a number one there!" So instead they went to France, and after a show
they got a telegram to the hotel: "Capitol Records congratulates you, number one
in US charts." So after France they went to USA, and they made a great success.
After a big tour in America they went back to England. There they started to
make their first movie, A Hard Dayīs Night.
The year was 1965 and now The Beatles was touring around the whole world.
They also got medals by their queen. Help was the name of the new record and
their second movie. It was a million seller.
In the end of 1965 they played at The Shea Stadium in New York, in front of a
record public with 55 000 people. Nobody had played for so many people before.

The music started now to be more varyating and George Harrison was inspired by Indian music.
Example for that can you hear on the record Rubber Soul. They were now touring in Asia
with new songs like Paperback Writer. They went to the Philippines, but now they didnīt
feel happy. It was too much, the īBeatlemaniaī everywhere and they were very tired.
In the end of 1966 they played at Candelstick Park in San Fransisco. It was their
last official gig ever.
Now they had more time to make records and 1967 they made Sergeant Pepperīs
Lonely Hearts Club Band and the singles All you need is Love and Penny Lane /
Strawberry fields forever. They said: 'The records are now our performance'.

Those records counts to The Beatles greatest. Later they did their own
produced tv-film Magical Mystery Tour (also a record).
1968 they made "The white album". 1969 they did Let It Be.
They all were very tired, and they thought that the recordings would be the last.
But they thought that Let It Be was too sad and thatīs why they did Abbey Road
(first-realeased). Their last gig was on the roof to the Apple-building in London.
In April 1970 The Beatles declared dead.
The members continued to make music on their own. Their records are still selling,
and the new Anthology-records have sold very much.

1958
George, a schoolmate of Paul, joins the Quarry Men
The group's name is changed to Johnny & The Moondogs

1959
Group's name changed to The Silver Beetles

1960
Stuart Sutcliffe joins on bass and Pete Best joins the group as drummer

1961
Finally changed name to The Beatles

1962
Beatles sign contract with EMI
A decision is made to replace Pete with Ringo (July 7 1940)
The Beatles debut single, Love Me Do is released and reaches UK#17

1963
Please Please Me and With The Beatles are released
From Me To You, Please Please Me, She Loves You and I Want To Hold Your Hand
and tops UK chart
Please Please Me and With The Beatles tops UK chart

1964
I Want To Hold Your Hand, She Love You and Love Me Do tops US chart
Meet The Beatles! tops US chart
The Australian chart published:
#1 I Saw Her Standing There
#2 Love Me Do
#3 Roll Over Beethoven
#4 All My Loving
#5 She Loves You
#6 I Want To Hold Your Hand

1967
Michelle wins Song Of The Year, Eleanor Rigby wins Best Solo Vocal Performance and
Revolver wins Best Album Cover at the 9th Grammy Awards
Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever hits UK #2
Penny Lane, All You Need Is Love, Hello Goodbye, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts
Club Band tops UK and US charts
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is critically revered as perhaps
the "best" album in rock history, and is seen by others at the climax of
the group's career
The Beatles form Apple Publishing Limited

1968
Magical Mystery Tour tops UK and US charts
Sgt. Pepper wins Album Of The Year, Best Contempory Album, Best Engineered
Recording and Best Album Cover at the 10th Grammy Awards
Lady Madonna tops UK chart and hits US #4
Hey Jude tops UK and US charts
The White Album tops UK and US charts

1969
Yellow Submarine hits UK #3 and US #2
Lennon marries Yoko Ono
Lennon changes his middle name from Winston to Ono
Get Back tops UK and US charts
Hey Jude wins Ivor Novello Award
The Ballad Of John And Yoko tops UK chart, and it's the group last UK #1
Abbey Road tops UK and US charts
Come Together and Something tops US charts and both songs hits UK #4

1970
Abbey Road wins Best Engineered Recording at the 12th Grammy Award
Let It Be hits UK #2
Paul quits the Beatles, and the Beatles broke up
Let It Be tops US charts
Let It Be tops UK and US charts
Let It Be wins an Oscar for Best Film Music
1973
Beatles released The Beatles 1962-1966 and The Beatles 1967-1970

1980
Lennon is assasinated and dies from loss of blood

1988
Beatles released Past Masters Volume One and Two

1995
Beatles released Anthology 1, featuring new single Free As A Bird

1996
Beatles released Anthology 2 and 3. Anthology 2 features another new single Real Love
Beatles released a 10-hour documentary called Anthology
Sir Paul McCartney receives Knighthood

1997
The Beatles won 3 Grammys for
Best vocal performance by duo or group - Free As A Bird
Best video (short form) - Free As A Bird
Best video (long form) - Anthology Series